Piano-pedal mounting.



PATEETED JAN. 3, 1905 G. BJORKLUNI):

PIANO PEDAL MQUN'I'ING.

APPLIOATIOZI FILED APR. 25. 1904.

INVENTOR WITNESSES.

' UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905r GUSTAVE BJORKLUND, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

PIANO-PEDAL MOUNTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 779,393, dated January 3, 1905.

Application filed April 25,

1'0 all/l w/wm, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUs'rAvE BJOEKLUND, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, New York city, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Pedal Mountings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the pedal apparatus for working the dampers in pianos; and it consists of improvements in the construction and arrangements in the fulcrum-spring attachments of the pedals and pedal-levers whereby said parts are more durable, more uniform in action, and may be more easily and substantially set up in working position, as hereinafter described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of a pianocase, showing the damper-working apparatus in side elevation on a diminutive scale. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a pedal and its fulcrum as set up in the case, the scale being larger than the scale of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail in sectional elevation of the pedal-lever fulcrum. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 4 inverted, with the bottom board omitted. Fig. 6 is a detail in vertical section showing, on a reduced scale, a modification of the pedal-mounting.

A represents the bottom board in a pianocase; a, a lower part of the front vertical member of the case below the keyboard; 0, a pedal; (Z, fulcrum-spring of the pedal; 0, the pedallever; f, the fulcrum-spring of said lever; g, tension-rod connecting the pedal with the end of the pedal-lever, to which motion is to be transmitted from the pedal, and [L the thrustrod mounted on the end of said lever from which motion is to be imparted to the damper, the latter not shown. Instead of employing pivot-joints for the articulation of these fulcrums it is preferred for economy and simplicity of construction and other reasons to use springy fulcrums of flat plates suitably bent to produce the proper flexing points, but it is found in practice that there is difliculty in inserting some of the fastening-screws after the desired forms are produced, and the con- 1904. Serial No. 204.708.

l tinual working of parts of the plates responsively to the fulcrum vibrations tend to work the fastening-screws loose to such extent that it is important to provide the best attainable conditions for security of the fastenings, together with the most feasible arrangements for rapid execution of the work in assembling and fixing the parts. The form which I prefer at the present time for the pedal-fulcrum spring (Z is a plain loop with a base-terminal 7' for seating on the case-bottom A and a terminal Z for attaching the pedal in parallel relation or thereabout to each other, said base-terminal being in suiiicient extension beyond the end of terminal Z to receive two fastening-screws 122, so they may be inserted without interference with the screwdriver by the end of terminal Z, and said terminal Z having a short downwardly-bent lip a of its end fitted in a transverse nick 0 of the upper end surface of the pedal-lever, onto which said terminal is secured by a single screw 12, which together with the nick makes ample fastening.

In practice the nick 0 will be produced in casting the pedal, and the pedal will also be cast with a slot 9, allowing the screws m to be reached through it by the screw-driver, it being desirable to fasten the pedal and its fulcrum-spring (Z together prior to fastening the pedal in position on the bottom board A by the screws m. The pedal-fulcrum spring connection may be modified by turning the end portion Z upward and screwing it onto the end of the pedal 0 with one or more screws l, as in Fig. 6, if desired, and while I prefer the arrangement of Fig. 1 I do not mean to limit myself to it.

The pedal-lever fulcrum is a plate-spring comprising parallel end parts 0' and s and a diagonal intermediate part f, whereof part 1' is the base to be seated on the case-board A, and s is the top on which the lever c is mounted. The end portion of the base-piece '2' is split, as shown at :1, along the middle and the members are separated laterally to broaden the base in that direction and to separate the holes 0 for the fastening-screws, so that the screw-driver may be used unobstructedly for inserting the screws after the top 8 of the fulcrum-plate has been screwed onto the lever e. The screws w and 00 are so located in the top 8 that they can be set in without hindrance of the screw-driver by the base a"; but for inserting another screw (0, which itis important to apply between the bend 1/ and the screw 10, I make a slot at .2 and produce therefrom a tongue 2, which being extended in the line of the part .9 makes a reinforcing connection and at the same time permits the insertion of the screw-driver for setting in the screw in.

hat I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination with the pedal of the plain fiat-bow fulcrum-spring having a baseterminal for attachment to the case-bottom an d an upper terminal for attachment to the pedal, said base-terminal having extension beyond the upper terminal to receive the fasteningserews, and the pedal having the slot coinciding with the base-terminal extension.

2. The combination with the pedal of the plain flat-bow fulcrum-spring having a baseterminal for attachment to the case-bottom and the upper terminal for attachment to the pedal, said base-terminal having the extension beyond the upper terminal to receive the fastening-screw and the pedal having the slot coinciding with the base-terminal extension and also having the transverse nick in the upper surface, and the spring having the end lip engaging said nick when clamped on by the fastening-screw.

3. The combination with the pedal-lever of the fulcrum-spring comprising the two parallel end parts and the diagonal intermediate parts, the base-end part being split along a portion of its length and the separated parts spread laterally, and the tongue produced out of the upper portion of the diagonal part, in prolongation of the upper end part relatively to the bend of the diagonal part, and providing a slot enabling the application of the intermediate fastening-screw.

Signed at New York this 23d day of April, 190% GUSTAVE BJORKLUND.

\Vitnesses:

C. SEDGWIoK, J. M. Howann. 

